DISTRESS! On American “PI” Day

On March 14, it was reported that THOUSANDS of American flags were hung UPSIDE DOWN along the main road to Jerusalem, the route that President Obama is supposed to take next Wednesday. (Read here.) It was claimed that the error was caused by the way the stitching was done on the flags, causing them to be hung in the way they were. The article from Times of Israel does not state when workers began to hang the flags, but the error was discovered on March 14, so I think it is safe to assume that the flags were upside down on March 13, as it would take a day or two to hang thousands of flags.

March 13, the conclave selects a new pope, who choses the never before used name of Francis. (Picture from wikipedia.)

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the new pope chose the papal name of “Franciscus” in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.

(Painting by Jusepe de Ribera, wikipedia.)

St. Francis of Assisi was born Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone in either 1181 or 1182. His name means Francesco “the Frenchman” of Pietro (Peter) of Bernardone (“bern” – bear; “nard” – brave, hardy).

His father’s name came from St. Peter. So St. Francis’ name “di Pietro” means literally “from Peter” or “son of Peter.”

Really?

(We are half way there.)

St. Francis has an interesting write-up at wikipedia, which includes that St. Francis was the first to display a nativity scene, and he was the first to show stigmata, or the wounds of Christ at His Passion.

St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, the environment and, along with St. Catherine of Siena, is patron of Italy.

So the birth name of Jorge Mario Bergoglio has nothing to do with “Petrus Romanus,” but the CHOSEN name of St. Francis has everything to do with it as his name is “son of Peter, patron of Rome.”

That’s not only weird, it’s not even a stretch.(1)

But as unusual as that is, even more so is St. Francis’ connection to the land of Israel in general, and the city of Jerusalem in particular.

St. Francis founded the Franciscan Order, and because of his efforts to convert the Sultan of Egypt in 1218, it is believed that a bond between the two men was established, and St. Francis was allowed access to the Holy Land and Jerusalem, even to preach and teach there. As a result, “the Franciscan Order has been present in the Holy Land almost uninterruptedly since 1217, . . . and it would be the Franciscans, of all Catholics, who would be allowed to stay on in the Holy Land and be recognized as “Custodians of the Holy Land” on behalf of the Catholic Church.” (wikipedia)

Interesting St. Francis’ role regarding the Holy Land as there was an article February 1, 2013, from Arutz Sheva that the Pope would gain control of significant areas of Jerusalem, including the Upper Room, beginning in June of 2013. Here are some excerpts from the article:

The Israeli authorities have granted the Pope an official seat in the room where the Last Supper is believed to have taken place, on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and where David and Solomon, Jewish kings of Judea, are considered by some researchers, to also be buried.

It is the culmination of a long campaign by the Catholic Church to regain religious stewardship over the place where Jesus is supposed to have broken bread and drunk wine with his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. . . .

The agreement constitutes Israel’s capitulation to the Vatican’s efforts to “Christianize” the holy site, like when a Catholic convent was built in Auschwitz. . . .

The Catholic Church has long wanted control over part of the area on Mt. Zion so as to turn it into an international religious center for Catholics. The blueprint of the agreement reads as follows: “The Vatican hands over this use of the Cenacle to the Custody of the Holy Land which will keep the Cenacle open from 6 AM to 8 AM for the celebration of the Holy Mass”. . . .

The Custody of the Holy Land, the Franciscan order who, with Vatican approval, is in charge of the holy sites, campaigns with the Arabs against Israel. . . .

The Vatican is also asking that Israel hand over to the Vatican’s control dozens of sites, 19 in Judea and Samaria and 28 in Jerusalem. The Catholic Church want (sic) to discuss some properties on Mount of Olives, Har Hazeitim, which is the very history of the Jewish people. If you want to keep Jerusalem united, you have to keep Har Hazeitim. The Vatican knows that. . . .

The Vatican and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation expressed a common position in the Basic Agreement of 15 February 2000, intended to support the recognition of a special statute for the City of Jerusalem. In the memorandum, signed by Vatican officials and the PLO, an organization dedicated to the mass deportation of Israel’s Jews, the Catholic Church wants Israel relinquishing sovereignty at the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The Vatican-PLO agreement’s preamble on Jerusalem shows that the Vatican’s attitude on Israel’s capital is still stuck in the unforgivable anti-Semitic rhetoric of the 1940s. . . .

Sovereignty over Mount Zion is politics, not only religion. The day after the Pope celebrated a mass on Mt. Zion in 2000, he went to Yasser Arafat headquarter to support the Palestinians’ right to return. . . .

A few months later, the Oslo war began. And Jews were sacrified again on the altar of “peace”. It was their last supper. . . .

This week, the Vatican in its official documents began referring to the “State of Palestine”. (emphasis mine, see Footnote 2 below)

As we can tell from this Israel National News op-ed, it is not just the Palestinians who want land from the Israelis, so does the Vatican.

So what are the odds that within DAYS of this announcement of an agreement that beginning in June of 2013, the Vatican will be allowed jurisdiction of certain holy sites within Israel, that POPE BENEDICT should announce on February 11, that he would resign on February 28 — he would be stepping aside for another, and that on March 13, 2013, a new Pope would be chosen who would choose the name of “Francis,” the VERY name associated with an order within the Catholic Church that has always had a presence in the Holy Land?

If the name “Francis” is prophetic of their intentions, let me tell you right now, the Vatican will not only fail, they will suffer as any other entity has who has sought to divide the land of Israel. The date the conclave chose their new pope — the 13th, is a number well established, according to E. W. Bullinger, with REBELLION.

I think it is also interesting that Obama has been shown as St. Francis of Assisi as well.

I’ve read varying opinions as to why he has been shown as this particular saint — some say it is because as a Democrat he is on the side of the poor and for social justice. Maybe. Others say it is because, like St. Francis, Obama is a patron of the environment. Maybe.

While I don’t know why Obama has been shown as St. Francis, could it be that, like the Vatican, he embraces the idea that the Vatican should be in control of certain areas of Israel and Jerusalem? Was that what he meant in his “New Beginning” speech in Cairo, in 2009, when he spoke of Jerusalem as being the home of the three great faiths — Jewish, Christian, and Muslim?

While many Catholics consider themselves to be Christians, many Christians do not consider Catholics to be Christians. This is for several reasons, including that Protestants do not believe the Pope is the representative of God Himself here on earth, do not believe that the wine and wafer literally transform into the blood and body of Jesus, or that it is necessary to have Jesus’ mother Mary intercede on our behalf. The contentions between the two belief systems goes back for centuries and has been the basis of much bloodshed and war, and this post today is not for covering that ground. What is important here is whether or not Obama thinks Catholics and Christians are one and the same, which I suspect he probably does, primarily because Obama attended, OF ALL PLACES, the CATHOLIC ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI SCHOOL for two years when he was growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia. His registration number was 203, and his name then was Barry Soetoro. (Read here.) BTW, St. Francis of Assisi School is located in Menteng, the more affluent part of Jakarta.

If it is as I suspect, that Obama believes Catholics and Christians are one and the same and that his reference to “Christians” in his “New Beginning” speech was actually a reference to “Catholics,” then I suspect that he will aid the Vatican in their endeavors to have Israel peel off their Holy sites and place them under the jurisdiction of the Holy See. It would not be the first time Obama has used doublespeak to say one thing and mean another; after all, he may not have been sure himself just how it would have played back home to hear him refer to Jerusalem as “being home of the three great faiths — Jewish, Catholic and Muslim.” See what I mean? Evangelical Christians don’t really see Jerusalem that way.

If I may, let’s review the timeline:

Feb. 1 — an agreement is reached between Israel and the Vatican giving areas of Jerusalem and Israel to the Vatican to oversee beginning June 2013.

Feb. 5 — Obama causes quite a stir by announcing that he will be going to Israel for an official visit. His itinerary will include laying a wreath at the tomb of Yitzhak Rabin (see Footnote 2).

Feb. 11 — Pope Benedict, citing his health, announces that he will resign on Feb. 28, and allow another to take his place. He is literally giving his power and his authority to another.

Feb. 28 — Pope Benedict steps down.

March 12 — Papal conclave to choose new pope begins.

March 13 — Conclave chooses Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who chooses the never before used name of Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi (“son of Peter, patron of Italy/Rome), and who, “coincidentally” is also the founder of the Franciscan Order, an order which has long established ties with Israel and Jerusalem. Pope Francis, this coming June, will, per the agreement announced Feb. 1, have virtually exclusive oversight of parts of Jerusalem and parts of Israel, including the Upper Room.

March 14 — Thousands of American flags hung in Israel to welcome President Obama were found hanging upside down in the distress position on, of all days, American “Pi” Day (3).

There are those who will believe that workers sewed the American flags incorrectly on purpose and that workers also hung them that way on purpose. I don’t know, though I suspect not (and we are not told in the article who sewed the flags), but either way, the day after the new pope was announced, thousands of American flags were hung upside down in Israel. It is not everyday that you see literally thousands of flags hung as signs of distress connected to America and Israel on the same day that a new Pope named Francis would be chosen.

(1) And I wasn’t even looking for that! — for connections to Petrus Romanus. I wanted to read more about the role of the Franciscan Order in Israel after reading the Arutz Sheva article quoted, especially since the new pope took the name of Franciscus from the founder, St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of this order.

(2) The “Oslo War” that the op-ed here is referring to was the SECOND Intifada, which was from September 2000 to 2005. The intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the so-call “Israeli occupation” of the Palestinian Territories. (I do not hold the view that Israelis are “occupiers.”)

The FIRST intifada was December 1987 to 1993. This first intifada led the Palestinians to enter negotiations which lead to the Madrid Conference of 1991, where Republican President George H. W. Bush was the first American president to suggest Israel give up land for peace. From the Madrid Conference came the Oslo Accords of 1993, where Democrat President Bill Clinton negotiated a secret meeting in Oslo, Norway, which was completed on August 20, 1993. The Accords were then signed at a public ceremony in Washington, D.C., on September 13, 1993, “in the presence of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, the then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and U.S. President Bill Clinton. The documents themselves were signed by Mahmoud Abbas for the PLO, foreign Minister Shimon Peres for Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher for the United States and foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev for Russia.” (wikipedia)

It was announced shortly after Feb. 5, that as part of President Obama’s trip to Israel, that he will lay a wreath on the tomb of Yitzhak Rabin in remembrance of his work in signing the Oslo Accords.

(3) American Pi day was established by Congress in 2009 to recognize the number 3.14. American Pi / Pie is also associated with Don McLean’s American Pie song, which some have interpreted as referring to “the day the music died,” or the demise of America. The “day the music died” refers to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and two others February 3, 1959. Super Bowl 47 was played this year in New Orleans on February 3, when the San FRANCISCO 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens. Many thought it might be an omen since it was unusual that half the lights in the stadium went out in the 3rd quarter with 13:22 left to play. Here is an intense yet fascinating look at McLean’s song American Pie. Please note, his first post was Feb. 13, 2007. His second post was Feb. 15, 2007, and it is a picture of the American flag hung upside down in distress.

“The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:
from bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty;
from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to selfishness;
from selfishness to complacency;
from complacency to apathy;
from apathy to dependency;
from dependency back again to bondage."

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